Prep school student president mocks classmates, resigns

Maya Peterson resigned from her position as the first black, female student body president of The Lawrenceville School in March after posting an Instagram photo mocking a portion of her white, male classmates – but the conversation about race and prestige at elite college preparatory schools continues.

School administration told Peterson, an openly gay student who was elected on a platform that appealed to minorities and freshmen, that she could either step down from her position or face disciplinary action for the post. Peterson stirred up controversy over a “Black Power” yearbook photo and other disciplinary infractions during her career at the prep school.

Katie J.M. Baker’s June 30 BuzzFeed article, which includes the “Lawrenceville boi” Instagram images of Peterson holding a hockey stick while wearing L.L. Bean Boots and a Yale University sweater with hashtags “#romney2016,” “#confederate” and #peakedinhighschool,” sparked a social media frenzy that raises concerns on both sides.

CNN Parents, the New York Observer and many other news sites have since featured articles covering the many controversial aspects of this story – from the Lawrenceville School’s diversity composition to alleged incidents of racism among students. While some students say they support Peterson for bringing attention to the problems of privilege that pervade their school, others say the outspoken former president went too far.

“I understand why I hurt people’s feelings, but I didn’t become president to make sure rich white guys had more representation on campus,” Peterson said in an interview with BuzzFeed. “Let’s be honest. They’re not the ones that feel uncomfortable here.”

Peterson later told the New York Observer she felt misrepresented by the BuzzFeed article, which has over 920,000 views.

What do you think? Did the former student body president go too far when she mocked her classmates? Did her actions spark a necessary conversation about racism and sexism at elite schools?